The Cleveland Browns (+12500 to win Super Bowl 54) are spiralling out of control. They need to pick up wins before another season is lost. Will they be able to capitalize on the Joe Flacco-less Denver Broncos on Sunday? Or will the Broncos add to the embarrassment of Cleveland?
No one is buying into the Browns’ hype anymore because there’s nothing left to buy in the first place. The Browns stumbled into another loss in Week 8, getting blasted by the New England Patriots in Foxboro, 27-13. It was quite telling of the Browns’ overall situation when in the first quarter of the Patriots game, Cleveland turned the ball over in three consecutive possessions. Baker Mayfield continues to struggle, tossing an interception — his 12th of the year (the most in the NFL –and finishing with just 194 passing yards and a touchdown on 20-of-31 completions. But a team with so much talent, one that has Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. downfield, can’t be underestimated. On defense, the Browns seem to have gotten a break in Week 9, with Denver starting a quarterback who hasn’t attempted a single throw in the NFL.
The Browns have seen the total hit the under in two of their last three games.
Betting on the Denver Broncos (2-6)
Denver will not have Joe Flacco directing their offense for at least a few weeks. The former Super Bowl champion got injured in Denver’s 15-13 road loss to the Indianapolis Colts in Week 8, and could be absent for the rest of the season. For now, the expectation is that Brandon Allen will get the nod under center against the Browns. Allen was a sixth-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL Draft. Having an unproven quarterback would likely mean an increased workload for the running back tandem of Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman, who had 59 and 40 rushing yards, respectively, against the Colts. The two could be a problem for Cleveland’s defense that is giving nearly 110 rushing yards per game.
The Broncos are 2-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last four games at home.
